Unforgettable
by Wildwalker
Summary: Extensive hiatus, otherwise discontinued. Lowered rating to T as appropriate for content. Chapter 6 posted as of 1/19/14. Cover image is fanart from Lorxene of deviantART. Thank you. Touya feels left behind when his twin sister, Touko, is chosen as one of the Heros of Unova... That is, until N makes a special promise...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

For as long as anyone could remember, Touya had been an enigma. His seemingly reserved nature contrasted starkly with his twin sister Touko's loud and outgoing personality. Although they were twins, his slightly older sister seemed years older. Touko's long, curly hair and striking blue eyes held little similarity to Touya's short, spiky hair and rich brown eyes.

Their contrasting natures only helped to widen the almost nonexistent age gap that everyone seemed to think was there. Touya was naturally serious and somewhat quiet around strangers, but when thrown into a social situation involving Touko, the boy seemed downright shy. Touko was always apart of the center of attention, and Touya had long since resigned to a solitary existence. Despite all their differences, Touya and Touko shared a normal sibling bond full of constant squabbling yet affectionate support. They were as close as twins could be, even traveling together occasionally on their pokemon journey.

But Touya always felt… Left behind and forgotten whenever Touko was around. It hadn't come as a surprise when she was chosen to be Unova's Hero of Truth. He supposed it would mean that he wouldn't be forgotten after all, but he knew that he would eventually become the vague shadow of the words written in his sister's legends. People would talk. He could almost here him. "Oh, yes, that brave girl Touko that became the Hero of Unova. Didn't she have a brother? The legend doesn't say his name." It would be worse than a slap to the face. Even if he had resigned to being solitary, he still desperately craved people's attentions.

It didn't hurt that Touko had been chosen as the Hero of Truth. He was happy for his sibling, and he doubted he could ever be a Hero like Touko. What hurt was who chose her. Oh, he would never have the courage to even touch Reshiram or fight at its side. Touko could keep the fire dragon for all he cared. But she had been chosen first by N.

The mysterious young man was more enigmatic than Touya thought possible. His long green mess of hair hung well below his shoulder blades, and his moss-colored eyes were enchanting to stare into, though Touya would never allow himself to stare directly at N. But he couldn't help but feel… Drawn to the strange young man at least four years his senior. It pleased the teenager beyond words whenever he caught N glancing at him. N was the first person to recognize his existence. That is why Touya was running to meet him in Nimbasa City. He couldn't refuse the young man's invitation to join him at the amusement park.

As Touya passed beneath the archway that led to the amusement park, he bent over and clasped his knees in his hands, panting heavily. He'd had to run on short notice from Nacrene City to Nimbasa. His faithful Unfezant, one he'd raised from a tiny Pidove that fell from its nest into his mother's garden, had a bruised wing. In Touya's opinion, it was in no condition to fly, although other trainers would force their bird pokemon to fly for hours on the verge of unconsciousness.

"You finally arrived," came the silky purring voice of N, "I was beginning to worry that you were not coming."

"You try running from Nacrene to Nimbasa in three hours," Touya retorted, his eyes still fixed on his shoes, "You're lucky I got here before sunrise."

"You should walk more often," N commented with an edge to each word, "It's healthier. And it'll give your Unfezant some time to rest."

"I give Unfezant a break all the time!" Touya muttered defensively, "I only ask him to fly me to cities or towns that are too far away to walk to in a hurry. Most of the time, I walk to each town."

N didn't respond. Instead, Touya could feel his burning gaze scorching over his hunched body. Taking a long breath, the teenager stood up straight and met N's stare full on with his own challenging glare. Few could withstand the power of his brown-eyed glare, one of which was Touko through sheer ignorance. Sometimes his sister could be so naive, and he worried that someday it would get her in trouble.

But Touko wasn't on his mind at the moment. Locked in a staring challenge with N, Touya began to feel uncomfortable. He resisted the urge to fidget where he stood in N's cool, appraising gaze. He swallowed a sigh of relief when N broke the stare first by jerking his head upwards in a triumphant manner. Touya didn't care.

When he was with N, the familiar laws of the universe fell away. It should have scared him beyond anything else. He was a person of reason and logic. He liked the feeling of his mind planted firmly on the ground, working his way towards the immediate future. But N was an idealist. His mind was always on his vague dream of the future.

Deep down, it horrified Touya to think about his pokemon friends being taken away for N's dreams. But then again, couldn't he be friends with them without pokeballs and the constant struggle to become a better trainer? He liked the idea of relaxing and playing with his friends. Wouldn't N allow them to be together if pokemon were allowed freedom?

"Will you ride the Ferris Wheel with me?" N's request cut through Touya's thoughts, "I love Ferris Wheels."

"Um, sure?" Touya answered uncertainly, unable to think of a reasonable excuse fast enough to refuse the invitation.

N gave him one of his rare pleased smiles. It filled Touya up like rays from the sun, warming him until a contented smile spread over his own face. The young man reached out and grabbed the teenager by the wrist, all but dragging him under the flickering orange streetlights until they stood outside the Ferris Wheel. The giant wheel was lit up by neon lights that shimmered and glowed against the background of light-streaked night sky.

Only one couple stood in front of N and Touya. On the cold late autumn night, no one was willing to venture into the streets or hang around the amusement park. Anyone that was out wore thick coats or warm jackets. Touya cast a sidelong glance at N. The young man wore his usual outfit; a black shirt under a white jacket that looked thin and didn't have a hood. The boy shivered just thinking about how little resistance the jacket gave against the chill of the night, shrugging deeper into his fleece-lined jacket. Even with his thick jacket, the cold still got to him.

The operator of the Ferris Wheel was a short old man bundled in a heavy coat and scarf. He smiled at the two pairs of people waiting to ride.

"Will it be one go around for you folks or two?" he asked gruffly, offering them a warm smile.

The couple in front of them said one. Touya opened his mouth to agree with them, but N hastily cut him off and replied two. The conductor shrugged to both and ushered the first couple up to the waiting car, making sure they were both seated before latching the door shut. N dragged Touya forward to await the next car, but the old man shook his head.

"Let's let them get some good altitude before we get you two loaded onto a car," he chuckled.

When the first couple's car had reached the top, the operator pressed a button to stop the Ferris Wheel. He opened the waiting car at the bottom and stepped aside to allow N and Touya to get in. The young man all but hauled the teenager into the car, sitting him down on the opposite seat before taking his seat. The old man smiled in amusement before closing the car door and returning to the control panel. With a press of a button, the Ferris Wheel started back up again.

Touya sat uncomfortably on the seat of the Ferris Wheel, twiddling his thumbs and trying to look anywhere but at N. Being in close confinement with the strange young man made him feel nervous. He felt like a hundred of Pidoves were fluttering in his stomach. The feeling both excited him and terrified him, flushing his system with adrenaline. It didn't help that he could feel N's eyes fixed on him.

"So," Touya mumbled nervously, "Why aren't you training to face Touko?"

"I don't need to," N replied casually, "Zekrom is strong. I'm sure our dreams will prevail. Tell me, you were there when Reshiram emerged from the Light Stone, yes?"

Touya mumbled a, "yes", slowly bringing his eyes to meet N's. His moss green eyes locked with Touya's rich brown eyes, an intensity glowing in their depths that willed the teenager to relate the experience. Touya let out a sigh before he began.

"My sister's always been hasty and naive," Touya mumbled, "She and Drayden took the Light Stone to Dragonspiral Tower. I came along with them to make sure Touko didn't hurt herself. They looked around and found the spot where you resurrected Zekrom from the Dark Stone. There were two semi-columns sticking out of the ground, a black one with blue bands of lightning carved into it and a white one with streaks of amber fire carved into it.

"Drayden inspected Zekrom's semi-column and found the Legend Badge you fitted into an indentation in the column. He told Touko to place the Light Stone on top of Reshiram's semi-column and fit her Legend Badge into the indentation of the column. Then, everything started to glow. The Light Stone started to levitate towards the center of the tower. I yelled at Touko to get back. It almost floated into her face.

"When it hovered at the center of the room, the Light Stone gave off rings of fire. I was almost burned, but I ducked behind a pillar. The light grew until it became blinding, and then, Reshiram was there instead of the Light Stone! It was beautiful, white with icy blue eyes. It looked graceful and fragile, not like Zekrom. Zekrom is strong like black steel. Reshiram is like the thin sheet of ice that forms over streams in the first frost of winter.

"And then, Reshiram started talking to us. Drayden said he only heard low growls, but Touko and I heard it speak. It said, 'Which of you is the Hero I seek? There can only be one Hero of Truth.' But I think it knew that Touko was its Hero. But as soon as she stepped forward, the dragon ignored me. Acted like I didn't exist! And Touko ignored me too. Whenever she caught a new pokemon, she always used to introduce me to them. But she didn't so much as look my way before taking off with Reshiram.

"She called me that night to tell me about how wonderful Reshiram was. She said they were going to train, and she'd see me again when she became the champion and defeated you. She acted like I'm not supposed to be there while she's off being the Hero of Unova! I think she wants me out of her way, so whatever legend becomes of this is all about her and not her little brother. And I'll be left to be forgotten forever."

Touya ended his story with a dismal sigh. He stared at his folded hands in his lap. The Ferris Wheel car lurched suddenly as it came to a stop at the very top. He glanced out the window to see the conductor letting out the couple at the bottom. The car rocked with an uncertain shuffling, and N sat down next to Touya. The boy tried to hide his miserable expression from the young man by looking away, but two fingers locked around his chin, drawing his face back to N.

N wore the most quizzical expression on his face as he studied Touya. The younger teenager gave him a curious blank look, and N gave him a reassuring smile.

"You won't be forgotten," N assured him in a soothing voice, "I promise you won't be forgotten."

"How can you promise- mmph"

Touya's words were cut off as N ever so gently pressed their lips together. The teenager's eyes widened as he stared into N's cool eyes, a deep blush assailing his cheeks. He'd never been kissed before, and certainly not by a guy! He wasn't gay, or at least he thought he wasn't. Now that he considered it, he wasn't sure which gender he was attracted to. He'd never been attracted to anyone before.

But his feelings for N… Was he attracted to N? Touya knew he certainly _had_ feelings for N, but he'd never decided what feelings they were. Interest, certainly, but attraction? Until that moment, he would have denied such thoughts and shoved them aside. But at the moment, he knew denial was impossible. So he wasn't straight, but he wasn't gay either. He was only attracted to N, and it just so happened N was a guy.

The pair startled as the Ferris Wheel started up again, but they remained fixed in their positions. Touya let out a soft sigh when N pulled away, caught between disappointment and relief. A cold wind rustled the car, slipping through the grating at the top of the car. Touya shivered, and N gave a small chuckle.

"Cold?" he asked casually.

Touya nodded, blushing slightly. N just chuckled again and draped his arm around Touya's shoulders. Sighing contentedly, the teenager snuggled up against N's side. N smiled in a dreamy, pleasant smile, relaxing against the back of the seat. They stayed like that as the Ferris Wheel descended. As their car began to climb into the sky again, N and Touya shared another tender kiss.

When the conductor opened their car, N stood and helped Touya to his feet. The two thanked the conductor for the ride and sprinted off, N's hand still gripping Touya's as he guided the teenager into the nearby woods. Touya followed, his mind too blank to offer him any reason to protest. The lights of the city faded behind them, and a few stars began to tentatively take their place in the night sky above them.

As N and Touya came to an open clearing lit by feeble moonlight, a low rumble greeted them. Touya wasn't surprised to find Zekrom resting in the clearing. N was opposed to pokeballs, so it was understandable that he wouldn't want to keep the large electric dragon in a pokeball. He doubted that N even had a pokeball for Zekrom.

As N strode up to the great black dragon and greeted it with an affectionate stroking on the muzzle, Touya hung back in nervousness. If he was impressed by Reshiram's beauty, he was left in awe by Zekrom's power. He leaned nervously against a tree, watching N. When the young man realized that Touya was no longer by his side, he turned and walked towards the boy.

"Come meet Zekrom," N invited, taking Touya by the hand.

Touya stumbled as N dragged him forward, presenting him to the dragon. Zekrom looked him over with red, disinterested eyes. Touya fought back his terror as N gripped his wrist and guided his hand towards the dragon's muzzle. At first, the dragon turned away, ignoring the hand. Touya felt crestfallen that the dragon had chosen to ignore him. Despite his fears, he had secretly hoped that Zekrom would be more welcoming than his fiery counterpart.

'It's true,' he thought, 'I really will be forgotten. But N will remember me. Shouldn't I be happy? Even still, it hurts that both dragons don't care about me.' The sting of the rejection burned sharply at his heart, and he almost felt tears springing to the corners of his eyes. The dragon slowly turned its head back to him.

'I care,' Zekrom spoke through thought, 'But are you worthy of my attention?'

Touya's eyes widened as the dragon pressed its muzzle under his palm. In amazement, the boy stroked his hand up the horn that protruded on its muzzle. The dragon closed its eyes and gave a low rumble of acceptance. Touya directed his thoughts towards the dragon. 'I want to be friends. Will you accept that much from me?'

'We'll see,' the dragon replied with a rumble.

"See? Zekrom likes you," N exclaimed happily.

'Not likes, I only agree to acknowledge him for now,' Zekrom corrected him.

"Close enough," N mumbled, "You see, Touya? You won't be forgotten."

"I guess," Touya murmured, still entranced by the dragon's ruby eyes and surprisingly smooth skin.  
>Touya drew away from Zekrom. The dragon stood and turned his back on the young man and the teenager. 'I'll leave you two to talk alone,' the dragon announced before making its way further into the forest. The two were left alone in the silent clearing.<p>

"Maybe I should go," Touya mumbled at last.

N didn't respond. The silence continued as if he hadn't spoken. Touya shuffled his feet hesitantly before starting to turn to leave. He gave a startled gasp when he turned to find N standing directly behind him. He'd forgotten how close the young man was standing. N reached out and wrapped Touya in his arms, pulling him against his chest.

"You don't have to go," he murmured in Touya's ear.

"W-What?" Touya squeaked in surprise.

"Come back to my castle with me," N murmured, "Stay with me, Touya. I promised you wouldn't be forgotten. I want you standing beside Zekrom and I. Please?"

"I… I don't know what to say?" Touya squeaked uncertainly.

"Do you want to?" N asked.

"Yes, but–"

"But what?"

"Touko," Touya murmured, turning his face away.

For a moment, Touya felt N's grip freeze around his shoulders. N drew his face back to look Touya straight in the eyes. The boy shuddered as sparks flew between their locked gazes.

"You deserve to be with someone that cares about you," N murmured insistently, "If Touko really cared, she wouldn't have pushed you aside in pursuit of honor and fame. Touya, I can't let you follow her if she treats you like that! I'll never forgive you if you do, and I swear I won't even think about you for the rest of my life if you choose someone that uncaring over me!"

Touya let out a gash of shock. He stared at N, dumbfounded by what he had said. Would N really threaten to forget him if he chose his sister over him? Whether he would keep that promise or not, the boy couldn't bear to chance it. Choosing N over Touko… It was what he wanted, after all. He longed to be with N, and it would break his fragile heart to pieces if he couldn't be.

"Yes," Touya murmured at last, burying his face in N's shirt, "I want to be with you forever."

N grinned down at Touya, affectionately ruffling the boy's stray hair with one hand. With a flick of his wrist, he plucked Touya's hat from his head. His spiky brown hair was free to fall into a wild mess of spikes that stuck out in all directions. Chuckling, the young man lifted Touya's chin between his fingers and gave the teenager a soft, loving kiss. Touya sighed contentedly, letting his body melt against N. When they broke the kiss, N smiled at him before giving a low whistle.

The air was torn in a rush of wind as Zekrom appeared overhead. The dragon lowered itself until it hovered only a few feet above the ground. N turned and took a running leap that brought him to the dragon's shoulder. He climbed into a better position on the dragon's back and leaned forward to whisper in its ear. The dragon came down lower until the tips of its claws reached the grass.

Zekrom's powerful wing beats flattened the grass and shook the trees. Touya stared in awe at the powerful dragon before hesitantly walking forward. N leaned down towards him, stretching out his arm to the teenager. Touya reached out unhesitatingly to grab N's hand, scrambling as he was hoisted onto the dragon's back. With a mighty growl, Zekrom beat his wings and took off into the black sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry to keep everyone waiting for the update of chapter 2! Omg, people reviewed my story! X'D Thank you! I hope all the fluffy goodness of chapter 2 makes up for the long wait! I branched out a little in this one, but there aren't any full on lemons just yet. ;) Please enjoy!

Chapter 2

Touya had fallen asleep.

N smiled softly to himself, hugging the younger teenager against his chest as Zekrom approached the golden castle. The dragon let out a roar as it landed in an orchard of the castle, stooping low to allow N and his new companion to slide off more easily. N slipped off first, reaching up to pull Touya's unconscious form from the dragon's back.

'Go rest,' N ordered his dragon through thought. Zekrom replied with a rumble of consent before wandering off to a secluded corner of the orchard beneath the apple trees. N smiled to himself as he hugged Touya against him, carrying him bridal style across the castle grounds and into the castle.

Much to N's relief, he wasn't met by any curious Team Plasma grunts as he passed through hallway after hallway. He was beginning to think that he would get away with bringing Touya to the castle without immediate questioning until he reached the door to his room. His heart plummeted. Standing outside the door was Ghetsis, his father.

The sage leaned against the door to N's room, his arms crossed and disapproval glittering in his red eyes. When he spotted N carrying the unconscious boy towards him, Ghetsis glowered at Touya's sleeping form. He stepped forward, his dirty-looking green-yellow hair making an ugly curtain behind his angry scowling face.

"Just what do you think you're doing with _that_, hm?" Ghetsis growled, not even bothering to gesture towards the boy in N's arms.

N completely ignored his father. He strode right past the furious sage, pushing open the door to his room. It didn't look like a room suited for a king, or even a young man. It was a child's paradise. Toys littered the floor everywhere, jumbled across the sky blue floor dappled by painted clouds. N had never questioned the appropriateness of his room before, but he sensed that Touya would feel uncomfortable to find that the young man's room was filled with children's toys.

N narrowed his eyes at the room. He couldn't bring Touya into his toy room. It was absurd. Instead he turned to Ghetsis.

"Are there any other rooms more… appropriate than this?" N asked formally.

Ghetsis stared at him, dumbstruck. If he didn't have the self-control that he possessed, his mouth would have reached the floor. Inwardly N smirked. It took a lot to shock his father. The sage quickly recomposed himself and hurried down the hallway, casting suspicious glances around as he led N to a more suitable room. It was obvious that he wanted to keep the whole matter a secret for as long as possible, and N certainly agreed. Bringing a strange boy – and a trainer at that – to the castle would cause a huge commotion, and he wasn't prepared to explain just yet.

Stopping in front of a large set of wooden doors, Ghetsis returned to glowering at his son. N ignored him, sweeping past and pushing open the wooden doors with his shoulder. The room was large and luxurious. Elegant pieces of wooden furniture decorated the room. The walls were a scarlet red. Just left of the doors was a king-sized bed with a black silk bed set. It was elegant and exquisite, the colors reminding him of Zekrom's jet-black scales and ruby-red eyes.

For a moment, N stared around the room in utter shock. He had never ventured into any of the rooms in his castle other than his toy room, the throne room, the library, and his father's study. He hadn't even imagined that there could be such luxurious rooms in his castle, nor could he believe that this room was now his for the taking. He smirked inwardly and corrected himself. His _and Touya's._

"This will do," N stated in a dismissive tone, not even bothering to glance back at Ghetsis, "You may leave now."

N could feel the air crackle as his father fought back the urge to reprimand him for such arrogance. He forced himself not to cringe at the thought of Ghetsis striking him. Throughout his childhood, he'd received beatings as his father's way of teaching him how to act. He'd claimed he couldn't help it, that all humans were like that, and N had believed him. More than once he'd seen abused pokemon brought to him with the wounds and bruises of similar beatings.

As the wooden doors closed behind him, N let out a relieved sigh. Though Ghetsis had stopped his beatings once his son had been made king, he wasn't sure of how far he could push his father before he took another beating. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the feeling of his anxieties melting away before he became aware of the heavy weight in his arms. Smiling, N strode across the room and gently laid Touya down on the bed.

As N rested Touya down on the bed, the boy whimpered and began to fidget. The younger teenager's rich brown eyes flickered open, milky and glazed with sleep. He blinked several times before his vision focused on N. The green-haired young man gave him a gentle smile.

"Where am I?" Touya asked in a small, wispy voice.

"I brought you to my castle," N explained, "Now, we can be together forever."

"Your castle…? But… What about Team Plasma? And that creepy Ghetsis guy?"

N retrained a smirk at the confusion and worry that flashed in Touya's eyes. He leaned over him and pressed their foreheads together. A heated blush flamed in the younger boy's cheeks again, but he did not move or resist.

"I am the King of Team Plasma," he repeated the obvious, "What I say goes. No one can argue with my orders. Not even the sage Ghetsis, although my father isn't pleased to submit to my orders."

"Your… father?" Touya murmured in confusion, "You mean, Ghetsis is your father?"

"Yes," N responded emotionlessly, drawing his face back from Touya's, "Is something wrong with that?"

"What? Oh! Nothing at all," Touya replied hastily with a nervous laugh, "I'm just a little surprised is all. So, it's really ok for me to stay here?"

"Touya, do you want to live with me?" N asked seriously, "You may only stay here if you wish to, if you want to live with me."

"Of course I want to stay," Touya answered quietly, sitting up to lean his face into N's neck, "I've wanted to be with you from the moment we first met."

Smiling again, N kissed Touya on the forehead. Although a light blush tinted his cheeks, the teen smiled in a dazed, pleasant kind of way. He suddenly broke out in a huge yawn.

"Get some rest, my little Touya," N murmured sweetly.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Touya asked around another yawn.

"Isn't it obvious?" N asked, "The bed's more than big enough for two."

"Oh," Touya mumbled, fidgeting uncertainly where he sat, "Ok."

N inward smirk became a grin on his face. He nuzzled Touya's forehead with his nose, enjoying the pink hue that was becoming more and more permanent upon the teenager's cheeks.

"I wasn't planning to move that fast," the young man chuckled, "I wouldn't want to push your comfort levels."

"O-Ok," Touya mumbled, relief almost – though not entirely – masking an undertone of disappointment.

N chuckled again and leaned forwards to press his lips against Touya's. Another blush took over the teen's face, but his eyes fluttered closed and he gave a contented sigh. N savored the kiss. For now, it was a simple contact of lips against lips, but he hoped that soon it might lead to something more. Sighing wistfully, the young man pulled away.

N stood up and began to remove his jacket. He stripped himself of his shirt and pants, leaving himself in nothing but his boxers. He felt Touya's radiating gaze on him, and for the first time, a hint of an embarrassed flush colored his body.

"This is how I sleep," he mumbled an explanation.

N plopped down on the bed beside Touya and looked at the boy expectantly. Scarlet burned through his cheeks as the brunette turned away and began to fumble with the zipper of his jacket. He tugged unsuccessfully at his shirt to remove it until N laid his hands over Touya's.

"Let me help you with that," N murmured.

Brushing away Touya's hands, N began to slowly remove the shirt from the teen, savoring each inch of bare skin revealed as he went. Touya's skin was pale but slightly tanned. Though it was still light, it seemed many shades darker than N's almost luminescent paler than pale skin. He lightly brushed his fingertips down the teenager's sides until his hands rested at the waistline of Touya's pants.

Touya jumped, startled. He shuffled away from N, blushing profusely.

"I th-think I'll j-just sleep with my p-pants on," Touya stuttered in embarrassment, " don't think I'm comfortable enough for that."

"Right, comfort zone," N stated matter-of-factly, then softened his voice to a gentler tone, "Touya, if you feel uncomfortable about anything, you must tell me. I want you to be comfortable here, with me."

Unvoiced gratitude glowed in Touya's rich brown eyes. N held his arms out to the boy, and hesitantly Touya stepped into the embrace. The teenager let out a contented sigh as he rested his cheek against N's bare chest, his arms slightly pinioned at his sides. The green-haired young man hummed softly under his breath, pressing a kiss to the brunette's forehead.

"Let's get some sleep, shall we?" N murmured into Touya's spiked bangs.

"That sounds–" Touya broke out into a huge yawn mid-sentence. "–nice."

N chuckled, nuzzling Touya's nose with his own before lifting the teenager bridal style. With one hand, he drew back the jet-black silk covers on the bed before laying Touya down among them. The teen squirmed sideways to make room for him as N slid in beside him. The young man wrapped an arm around the boy's form, pulling him closer. Touya let out a contented sigh as he buried his face into N's neck, their sides pressed together radiating heat under the silken sheets. N leaned his cheek against Touya's forehead, humming softly. It wasn't long before both drifted into an exhausted sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, I never thought that my story would be so popular! I know by most standards 9 reviews isn't a whole lot, but it's a lot to me! I need to figure out how to reply to those. If that doesn't work, I'll make a special addition to my little author's notes area, for replying to reviews. ;) In the mean time, enjoy chapter 3! Beware the extreme fluffiness and almost lemon! X3 EDIT 11/13/11: Fixed some of the italics.

Chapter 3

Touya awoke to find himself alone in the bed. He sat up slowly, stretching his arms as he did so. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and looked around. N was gone. Across the room, a large window was cracked open, allowing a breeze and sunlight to billow through the scarlet-and-black curtains.

Touya's eyes fell on the bedside table, where a folded towel lay with a note on top. He slid across the bed to the table and plucked up the note. Immediately he recognized N's fine handwriting and began to read.

_Good morning, sleepy head! I left a note for you in case I didn't return before you woke up. I have a meeting to attend to, and I will be announcing your presence to Team Plasma. I thought that you might enjoy a warm shower or a soothing bath when you awake, so I left a towel here for you. The bathroom is in the room to the left of the bed. I should be back soon enough, unless I am held up by the meeting. Pleasant dreams and enjoy that shower or bath!_

_~ N_

Touya gently set the note aside and picked up the towel. He trotted over to a wooden door in the wall left of the bed. He knocked before grabbing the stainless steel doorknob and pulling the door open. The boy froze where he stood, marveling at the grandeur of the bathroom. The floor was covered in cream-colored marble tile, and the sink countertops, shower, and large bathtub were plated with cream-and-brown granite. The walls were painted a soft beige, and a large window opened out onto a grand view of a vast mountain range covered by an expansive forest.

Touya stared in awe at the grand view. He saw flocks of Pidoves taking off and landing in some of the nearer trees and stepped closer to the window for a better look. Below the window, the castle grounds spread a beautiful display of gardens of flowers – mostly dominated by several shades of pink roses – and large orchards.

Touya spotted an apple orchard that appeared to be growing in blackened soil. The soil beneath the autumn leafed trees moved, and he realized that it was not soil, but Zekrom. The black dragon shifted in his resting spot, glancing up at the window where the boy stood with indifferent crimson eyes. Even from high above the dragon's head – the room must have been three stories off the ground at least – Touya could still sense how large and mighty the dragon was by comparison to his small form.

Turning away from the captivating views of the mountain range and castle grounds, Touya hanged his towel on a rack and reached into the shower to turn it on. 'A nice cold shower will wake me up,' he thought, 'Just like when I was traveling in the forests. I always camped next to a stream and washed in the mornings.'

The showerhead spurted a stream of freezing water. Touya cringed slightly. It was much colder than the streams he was used to, reminding him of an accidental dunking on a river of snowmelt. It was much too cold to shower in. Tentatively, he adjusted the temperature until steam rose to coat the glass door of the shower. Satisfied with the temperature, he stripped himself of the last of his clothing before stepping into the hot stream of water.

As he showered, Touya tried to adjust his mind to all that had happened since yesterday. Just the morning before, he had woken up and bathed in a stream like normal. It was in the late afternoon when everything had changed. As usual, he had stopped in Nacrene City to enjoy the artwork and allow his pokemon to rest after a friendly rematch with Lenora, the leader of the Nacrene Gym. It had been a fairly standard battle, the only lasting injury being a bruise to his Unfezant's wing, courtesy of a take down attack by Lenora's Herdier.

Whilst wandering about the streets, Touya's eyes caught on a movement in an alley up ahead. He recognized it as a member of the Shadow Triad, the sort of ninja class of Team Plasma. Curiously, he'd followed the ninja down the alley. Without a word, the Shadow Triad member passed him a note before vanishing among the shadows. It was a note from N.

_Meet me in Nimbasa City by sunset. I'll be waiting in the amusement park._

_~ N_

Without hesitation, Touya took off on a three hour marathon to meet the young man. From there, the meeting had progressed from an initial confrontation to a friendly ride upon the Ferris Wheel, where they'd shared their first kiss. Thinking about that moment made the teenager bring his fingers to his lips and a rosy flush color his cheeks. The rest of the night went by in a surprisingly fast blur. He was dragged off into the woods, introduced to Zekrom, and spirited away to N's castle to live with him forever.

'Forever is a long time,' Touya thought, 'I'm glad; I want to spend all of forever with N. But what's going to happen when Touko shows up to challenge N? What am I going to do then? I can't fight her with N, but I would never side with her over him. Not now. I care for him too much.'

'When the right time comes, you'll know what to do.' The surprisingly reassuring thought drifted into Touya's head, and he let out a comforted sigh. Zekrom's soothing mental presence helped ease his worrying, allowing him to return to the task of bathing.

Once he was satisfied that he was clean, Touya shut off the water and reached for the towel. After drying out his hair and giving the disobedient spikes a few unsuccessful pats to try and straighten them, he wrapped his towel around his waist and glanced around for his clothes. It was then that he realized he'd forgotten to grab a fresh outfit. He blushed in embarrassment, wrapping the towel more securely around himself before cautiously stepping towards the bathroom door.

Glancing out into the bedroom, Touya soon spotted his backpack sat aside next to a chair. But all hopes of swiftly darting out and snatching up a new outfit from the backpack were dashed when he realized that N was sitting in the chair. He swallowed hard, unsure of what to do. He berated himself for the mistake, but couldn't really find any blame in himself. He often left his backpack by the campsite while he swam, and never shared a room with anyone else while staying at a pokemon center.

Swallowing hard again, Touya came to the conclusion that he had no choice to step out and retrieve his clothes in this state. He took several deep inhales and exhales to calm himself. The embarrassment was nearly killing him. Just in case, he slipped into his old boxers. He ignored his almost second nature distaste at wearing used boxers after a shower. He took hygiene seriously, but he reasoned that for the good of his dignity he could manage a few moments in that pair until he grabbed a fresh pair from his backpack.

Readjusting his towel once more, Touya took a deep breath and pushed open the bathroom door. For a moment, he was met with a stare from N. As it had the previous night, N's steady stare began to unnerve the normally unshakable teen. The young man tore his eyes from Touya's to sweep his gaze over the boy's form. A furious blush overtook his entire body.

"I need to get my clothes from my backpack," Touya mumbled.

Quickly Touya hurried towards his backpack, all too aware of N's burning gaze scorching over him. He was sure his cheeks had never been so crimson in his life. He stopped beside his backpack, not even daring to glance at N as he reached downwards for it, though he could feel the young man's searing gaze as if it were burning him alive. Through the haze of his embarrassment, he felt something grab his wrist. It took him a moment to process that it was N's hand. Slowly, his eyes trailed up to meet N's.

"On the contrary, I think you're overdressed," N purred, slightly narrowed eyes glittering with a new emotion that Touya had never seen before, yet recognized instantly: lust.

The air between them grew thin as it crackled with tension. Touya was nearly gasping for breath. N grabbed his other wrist in his free hand, standing up from the chair and pulling the teenager closer until their bodies came together. In a surprisingly harsh burst of passion, N brought their lips together. He moved forward, forcing Touya to gradually step backwards. The teen felt some object strike the back of his knees, and he toppled backwards onto the bed.

N loomed over Touya, pinning the teen between himself and the bed. Touya didn't protest. He knew that he should have been ashamed for not putting up some sort of resistance. He was only sixteen, he should not be letting this happen. But he feared that N would back off if he resisted, and his long quelled desire would not allow his guilt to get the better of him at that moment. He went limp under N, becoming as pliant as a ragdoll.

N, however, wasn't satisfied with the response he was getting from the teen. Their lips connected again. N's mouth parted, his teeth lightly nibbling on Touya's bottom lip. Hesitantly, the boy opened to him. N let his tongue explore the teenager's mouth. Touya let out a half-stifled moan of pleasure at the new sensation. The sound was needy, encouraging N to continue.

Through the passionate haze of the kiss, Touya didn't notice that N had stripped him of his towel. He shuddered when he felt one of the young man's fingers pluck at the waistband of his boxers, more as a warning than an actual attempt to remove them. The teen squirmed uncertainly, staring helplessly into N's reassuring moss green eyes. This was moving too fast for him. He had to stop this, but – Oh!

Touya let out a strangled cry as N massaged the bulge in his boxers. He writhed on the bed, fighting between the new waves of pleasure and his uncertainty. He couldn't let this go on! He had to end this, but god, he didn't want to! He thrashed wildly, panting as N stared down at him. A grin tugged at the older man's lips as he saw the confusion that clouded the teen's eyes.

N leaned away from Touya long enough for the teen to catch his breath. The young man smirked as he began to pull off his shirt. Touya stared at him hungrily as he took in each inch of finely sculpted skin and muscle, unable to drive the desire from his eyes and too far lost to it to be ashamed of his stares.

Next, N's pants fell to the floor, leaving them both in nothing but their boxers. Once more he pinned Touya to the bed. But this time, it was the younger that leaned forward to bring their lips crashing together for a kiss. Their tongues tangled together, meeting on a new field as equals.

After a pause for breath, Touya allowed himself to relax. N stared down at him, the lust in his eyes overpowered by only one emotion more terrifying than anything this world had to offer. It was the one emotion that made people mad with jealousy or ecstatic with joy. It could bring mountains to their knees, halt time and death itself, and spin the world into a complete reverse. It was far too terrifying for Touya to name, but N felt as though he would suffocate if he didn't voice it. He leaned forward until his chin rested in the crook of Touya's shoulder and whispered in younger's ear.

"I love you," N whispered, the words heart-felt and all-consuming.

Touya stared back up at him in a daze, his mind whirling. How had his life changed so drastically? Less than twenty-four hours ago, he'd broken camp to head into Nacrene City. And now, here he was, lying almost completely naked under a man that had just confessed that he loved him. He didn't even know what love felt like.

But he was beginning to understand. It was in the way his heart glowed every time N smiled at him. It was in the way he felt such despair for each of the young man's losses at the hands of his sister, even though N remained positive and firmly set in his beliefs. It was in the way he admired N's inner strength, and in the way he wished he could give N the world and more, if only to know he was happy.

'Yes,' Touya thought, 'This is what love feels like.'

"I love you too, N," Touya murmured peacefully, wrapping his arms around N's bare chest, "I love you with every part of my heart and soul. I'd give anything to make you happy. Anything at all."

"I feel the same way for you, Touya," N breathed, nuzzling his nose into Touya's brown hair, "I would never do anything to hurt you or make you uncomfortable. We… We can stop this here if you don't want to continue."

Before Touya could respond, there was a knock on the large wooden doors to their bedroom. N didn't move, save to turn his head and stare at the wooden doors. One door creaked open a fraction of an inch. Touya stared at it in panic, his temporarily forgotten embarrassment rushing back. But the door did not open further. Instead, the person on the other side spoke their message through the cracked door.

"My Lord N," came the toneless, unmistakable voice of one of the Shadow Triad, "Touko has just conquered the Elite Four and passed Champion Alder. She will appear at our gates any moment now."

"Thank you for the report," N stated, each word edged in resentment at being interrupted, "Allow her to reach the throne room unharmed. You may go."

"Yes, my Lord," the Shadow Triad ninja responded flatly before the crack in the door closed again.

N did not move. He stared at the door for several moments before he sighed and turned to look into Touya's brown eyes. The teen fidgeted under his moss green gaze. He saw in N's eyes several emotions that he did not want to see. Regret. Pity. Resolution. Gently, N leaned down to kiss him softly.

"I must go," he sighed, "There's nothing I can do to change fate. Please, Touya my love, stay here. I don't want you to get hurt, whether from the battle or from your emotions. Because surely it will hurt us all."

N stood up and quickly gathered his discarded clothes. He dressed hurriedly, pausing only to give Touya one last kiss before he walked away. The wooden doors opened, then closed with a hollow thud.

"I love you," Touya whispered a moment too late, his heart aching.

Touya sighed heavily, sitting up and resting his chin between his hands. Sorrow burdened his heart. He wasn't ready to deal with Touko. He knew he'd stay with N, but he didn't know how to tell his sister. Nor was he prepared to be beaten to a pulp when she found out.

Touko would surely be furious with him. He hadn't missed the way she sugarcoated every word around N, or how she tried to flirt with him. She'd always fumed later about how N didn't respond to her not-so-subtle advances, but she never once suspected that it was because N was attracted to her brother. She'd be humiliated, and she'd take it out on him. From past quarrels that had led to blows, he knew he couldn't win against his sister. She was too strong, and she spared him no mercy when he tried to soften his blows.

But it wasn't Touko's reaction that plagued Touya's heart. It was the deep regret and pity he had seen in N's eyes. N knew that this battle would hurt him one way or another, but Touya could handle that. He was strong, if not in body, then in spirit. He could endure, deflect every emotional blow, but in turn N would hurt for him. The young man didn't understand. He would become a shield when Touya already wore armor. It was unnecessary, but unavoidable. And in return for this empathetic pain, Touya would suffer.

'Why'd you have to mess everything up?' The words echoed through his head, first in Touko's voice, then his own. They brought with them the memory of one cold afternoon, when the twins were only five years old, arguing in their shared bedroom.

_Touko stood in the doorway, screaming her frustration. Touya glared at her from in front of his bed. Behind him huddled a tiny Pidove, no where near old enough to be out of its nest. Its wing was spread lamely, a small wooden splint preventing it from closing the wing._

"_Why'd you have to mess everything up?" Touko shouted furiously, "I wanted that Pidove! I was going to catch it from its nest and raise it!"_

"_I didn't mess anything up!" Touya shrieked back, "If it weren't for you, this Pidove would be safe in its nest without a broken wing! Why'd you mess up everything? You probably ruined its life!"_

_The argument changed from words to fists until the pair's mother separated them. They sat sulkily on their beds. Touko barely had the smallest of scuffle marks to show for the fight. Touya, on the other hand, had a large bruise swelling to life on his cheek. But regardless of the victor or loser, the tiny Pidove sat in the boy's lap, chirping more happily now that the argument had subsided._

Touya took in a ragged breath and blinked. He felt a stream of tears flow down his cheeks, only now realizing he had been crying. Pools of the salty water turned to waterfalls as they overflowed the cups of his palms and trailed down his arms. He drew another breath before standing up. Slowly, he made his way to his backpack, stooping down to grab a set of clothes.

After dressing in silence, Touya sat on the bed once more. He sighed, wondering how N's battle was going, and if he was winning. He wondered if even at that moment if Touko was flirting with him, as she'd done countless times before, battle or no battle. He wondered if N was ignoring her advances, pretending not to notice as he had whenever she flirted. Or maybe… N had told her about _them_.

A low rumble like the crackle of thunder shook the castle. Touya ignored it, continuing to stare at his hands clasped in his lap. His mind played out a scene of what might be happening in N's throne room. Touko was grinning, making inappropriate comments as she ordered her pokemon to attack. She was teasing N, saying that they should get together after the battle, as if this were a normal occurrence in their daily lives. Touya imagined N turning down Touko's offer, telling her that he didn't like her, but her brother.

Touya's whole body shuddered as he imagined a cold scowl on hatred overtaking Touko's face. She'd surely be furious, ordering her pokemon to attack more viciously in her vengeance. He envisioned Reshiram's flames consuming the castle as it clashed with Zekrom. The great black dragon fell before its white counterpart. Reshiram would be upon the fallen dragon in an instant, its ivory white teeth slashing at Zekrom's throat. Touya shuddered again as he imagined the black dragon calling to N, searching for help that did not come. Unable to find a response from its trainer, Zekrom would turn its calls to Touya. He could almost hear the black dragon's voice in his head. _Touya… Touya…_

'Touya!'

Touya blinked, slowly realizing that the voice wasn't from his imagination, but a resounding thunderous roar that echoed in his head. He stiffened as he listened to it, expecting to hear pain and fear, but Zekrom's voice was demanding, filling him with the great dragon's faith in him. Trance-like, he stood and made his way over to the large wooden doors. In moments, he was running through the castle hallways, urged on by Zekrom's calls as he raced to confront the battle scene between his sister and the man he loved more than the world.


	4. Chapter 4

Oh my gosh, yes! I finally finished chapter 4! I am so sorry to everyone that's been waiting so long for this chapter! I appreciate all the reviews, favorites, and alerts this story is getting! 8'D I'm sorry it took so long! I ran into my dreaded 'Chapter 4 writer's block'. On every story I write, without fail, as soon as I get to chapter 4, I immediately get writer's block that can last anywhere from 2 weeks to several months. It's a curse! *Sigh* Well I hope you all like this chapter! Just a warning, I finally allowed myself freedom with language, so watch out for a little coarse language in there! D: Sorry! I don't normally promote the usage of coarse language unless I think it's for the benefit of the story! Enjoy~

Chapter 4

Reaching the end of the final hallway, Touya stopped in front of a large wooden oak door. He panted for breath, hand partly outstretched towards the door. Zekrom's voice called to him once more, summoning him into the room beyond the door, but the dragon's voice was growing weaker, as if coming from a great distance although an unearthly roar rang out from behind the door.

It was the weakness in Zekrom's call that made the boy hesitate. His hand trembled in midair, a quivering spasm that spread up his arms until it wracked his shoulders. He knew what to expect beyond the door; two dragons of legend clashing for dominance, fueled by their trainers' ambitions and dreams. But while Zekrom's roar dimmed, Reshiram's howl grew stronger. It shook the boy with fear to think upon what this meant.

'Touya!' Zekrom called again, his cry becoming pleading as it flitted through his head, 'If you will not do this for me, then come for N! He needs you, Touya! He will need your strength in times to come. I can feel his will slipping. Come now, or he will be crushed!'

Zekrom's words sent another jolt of fear through the boy, but this time, it gave him strength. Forcing himself not to tremble, Touya pushed the door open and advanced into the throne room of N's castle. He ran less than a few feet into the room before what he saw stopped him cold in his tracks.

With a scream, Zekrom collapsed, Reshiram's ivory teeth wrenching from his neck as he fell. The dark dragon let out a mournful keen as he lay still, exhausted from his fight. His light counterpart backed away, howling in triumph. Zekrom slowly lifted his head from the floor, ruby eyes fixing on a spot concealed from Touya's view by a pillar of marble. But even without seeing him, Touya knew that's where N was standing.

'I can't continue,' Zekrom murmured in a wispy sigh, 'I haven't the strength to battle further. Reshiram has won.'

With another defeated keen, Zekrom allowed his head to fall to the floor again. The dragon was panting for breath, struggling to recover. The wound in his neck, though not immediately fatal, was sapping the last of his strength. If Zekrom did not recover soon, he would likely die from shock and fatigue. And from the weakness in his voice, Touya feared that the dragon might soon not have any strength left at all.

'No!' Touya screamed to Zekrom, 'Don't give up! Zekrom, you have to stay strong!'

'I'm sorry,' the dragon whispered, though Touya was no longer sure if Zekrom was talking to him or N, 'I'm sorry…'

Desperately, Touya ran forward and crouched by Zekrom's side. He stared at the dragon's face and neck, unaware of the tears that came unbidden to his eyes. Crying openly, he buried his face in Zekrom's neck.

"Please, Zekrom," Touya pleaded out loud, "Get up! Be strong!"

"Touya?" N said in surprise.

Slowly, Touya lifted his head to stare morosely at N. He quivered, expecting to find mournful defeat in the man's eyes, but N's face only expressed his surprise and concern for the teen. Purposefully N advanced towards Touya and Zekrom, kneeling down beside them and gathering Touya in his arms. Wrapped in N's comforting embrace, the boy was finally soothed.

"Touya, get away from him!" shrieked a furious voice from across the room.

Startled, Touya flinched in N's grip as he turned to face Touko. His sister stalked forwards until she stood in front of the pair, grabbing a fistful of Touya's jacket and yanking him out of N's arms. The boy gave a grunt of protest as he was pulled to his feet, one hand gripping feebly at Touko's in an attempt to pry himself loose. He stared into his sisters blazing furious blue eyes without looking away.

"How dare you?" Touko hissed at him through gritted teeth, "How dare you choose him over me? And how dare you steal him from me?"

"He did not 'steal' me," N stated coldly, rising to his feet to look down at Touko, "I was never yours for the taking. My heart was always meant to belong to Touya."

"Shut up!" Touko screamed.

Her eyes alight with fury, Touko released Touya and turned to N. She raised a hand and slapped N in the face, a loud peal echoing from the contact. N did not react, save to lift a hand to where a handprint was blooming in red upon his cheek. Finally the fury and hatred that filled the air around them was too much for Touya to bear. His long restrained resentment towards his sister broke free, whipping his mind into a raging storm.

"Don't touch him!" Touya shouted.

"Or what, _little brother_?" Touko spat contemptuously.

Seized by a fit of fury, Touya grabbed his sister's wrist and twisted sharply. She gave a startled yelp of surprise and pain as he thrust his face into hers. His chocolate brown eyes were dark with all the emotions of his childhood; his resentment for the attention Touko received, his pain from the many squabbles that resulted in physical violence between them, and his undying anguish for the loneliness that she inflicted upon him every day, for stealing his friends and for not so much as caring how she hurt him so.

"You know what, big sister?" he snarled, lips curling back to expose his teeth in a twisted smile that seethed with his fury, "You're a bitch, and I'm tired of living in your shadow all the time, so you can just go screw yourself and get the hell out of here!"

Touko stared at Touya, dumbfounded and mouth agape. Even N stared at him in shock. But as Touko gritted her teeth and clenched her fists to strike, an echoing sound of clapping caused them all to freeze. Stiffly, all three turned to stare warily as Ghetsis approached from a corridor of the opposite side of the throne room from which Touya had entered.

"Bravo, Touya," Ghetsis sneered, leering at the trio.

"What do you want?" Touko snapped impatiently, irritated that her assault had been stalled.

"A wise question," Ghetsis stated, his voice carrying a tone of dark amusement, "My goals are simple. To create a world where humans and Pokémon exist separately from each other… And to control that world!"

"What?" Touya stared at Ghetsis in surprise, not quite believing what he'd just heard.

"What did you think I wanted, boy?" Ghetsis snapped impatiently, "For such powerful creatures to roam free while humans live in chaos under a leader that could hardly pass as a human himself? No, I would never let that happen. Pokémon are tools; tools of infinite power that are here to be controlled. They exist to do our every bidding, but I didn't like that. If everyone has Pokémon, then we're all equals. So, I devised a plan to put myself in charge. It was the perfect plan; so simple that it could not have backfired. But it did."

Ghetsis took a pace towards them, lifting a hand to point directly at N. His red eyes glared with fury at the young man.

"You stupid boy!" Ghetsis cried in a fit of passionate rage, "Look what your ideals have cost me! You've lost! My plan is ruined! The world will never accept you for the true Hero of Unova! You've failed, N! You're useless to me now. Defective boy, you're useless to anyone! You're nothing but a warped child that knows only Pokémon. You're an imperfection upon the Harmonia name!"

While Ghetsis continued with the degrading rant, N stood silently over Zekrom's head. Though his cap shielded his eyes from sight, Touya could see the young man's shoulders trembling violently and hear his ragged breathing, as if he were fighting off tears. The pitiful sight filled Touya will a protective rage. Stealing himself, he stalked forward until he was nearly in Ghetsis's face, blocking the man's sight of N.

"Shut up," Touya growled in a low voice, clenched fists shaking at his side, "Don't you dare speak to N like that. I won't ever stand by and let you talk about my N like that ever again!"

Ghetsis looked momentarily taken aback, but he recovered quickly and glared in contempt at the boy standing before him.

"I admire your loyalty, boy," Ghetsis said dryly, his red eyes narrowed, "But it'll take more than a few empty words from a love-struck teenager to make me back down."

"I meant every word," Touya stated solemnly, taking a step back and reaching for a pokéball attached to his belt, "And I'll prove it, any way you want."

"Don't mock me, _boy_," Ghetsis spat, "You can't possibly compete with me in battle! I am perfection!"

With his eyes glazed to the point of hysteria, Ghetsis let out a cynical laugh that reverberated throughout the throne room. N flinched at the noise, cringing and letting out a whimper. All at once the large oaken doors in the wall opposite from N's throne burst open with a loud crash. In ran two people that Touya recognized instantly. The first man, a large, burly man with fiery red hair, was Alder, the Champion of the Unova Pokémon League. The second, a slim young man with raven black hair and wearing glasses, was Cheren, one of the few people that Touya could actually say was his friend. They were followed by the members of the Elite Four.

"Give it up, Ghetsis!" Alder barked out in a loud voice that boomed off the marble pillars, "By order of the Champion, you're under arrest for crimes against the Pokémon League and disrupting the peace of Unova!"

"We heard everything," Cheren added as he ran to Touko's side.

Upon reaching Ghetsis, Alder and the Elite Four surrounded the man and detained him. Ghetsis gave a blood-curdling scream of rage as he tried in vain to wrench himself free of the four sets of arms that dragged him away. Champion Alder watched them go, then walked over to the small band of Cheren, Touko, Touya, and N. During the arrest, the green-haired young man had fallen to his knees beside Zekrom, unable to watch as his father was taken away.

"It's over," Alder said simply, "Ghetsis will never terrorize Unova again. What I'd like to know is what you intend to do now, N."

At the Champion's words, N looked up. Touya felt his heart quiver at the forlorn look of emptiness in N's eyes as the young man slowly stood up to face the Champion.

"Can I have a moment to think about it?" N whispered in a toneless voice, his gaze falling to the marble floor.

"Of course," Alder replied, his eyes momentarily softened in sympathy as he turned away, "Come on, kids. Let's give N the chance to think in privacy."

Nodding acquiescence, the three teens began to move away at varying speeds. Touya hesitated, dragging his feet as he followed. N suddenly looked up and gave a small cry of distress, reaching out and grabbing Touya by the wrist. The boy turned back to stare at him questioningly.

"Stay," N whispered pleadingly, too quietly for the others to hear.

Stunned, Touya nodded. The others turned to see what was keeping him, but he waved them away. When at last the oaken doors closed behind the retreating Champion and teenagers, N sighed and turned towards his throne. He began to take slow steps towards the throne, and only then did Touya realize there was a giant hole in the wall behind the throne. He followed N with a slight frown on his face as they made their way towards the hole.

"It's over," N said dully, echoing Champion Alder's earlier words, "My dreams have come to nothing. Am I… really fit to be a hero? I don't know anymore."

"N…" Touya murmured pityingly, trying to think of something to comfort him, but N waved his hand for silence.

"So many things have happened since I first began my journey," N continued, "I met so many trainers and their Pokémon. At first, I scorned them, but as time passed, I began to see the bonds they shared with their Pokémon. I began to doubt my dream. Now… I know my dream wasn't meant to be."

"That's not true!" Touya blurted out, desperate to lighten his beloved's mood, "You can still make your dream a reality."

"Touya," N said, turning to stare at him with earnest eyes, "I've lost the fight. Who will listen to me now? Who would have listened to me in the beginning? I was wrong to want what I wanted. Back then, I only knew of Pokémon abuse, but now I know of the friendships that Pokémon and their trainers have. Friendship is important, is it not? I cannot break friendship. I cannot see my dream through. Now, I have nothing."

They stopped now, standing a few feet apart in front of the hole in the throne room wall. N lifted a hand to the torn bricks, leaning against them for support. Touya's heart quivered at how weak and vulnerable the young man looked. He wanted to reach out to him, to pull him close, wrap his arms around him, and never let go. But he couldn't help but sense that his life had just come to a crossroad, and now he'd have to choose which fork in the road to follow.

"I cannot stay here," N finally spoke up, looking sadly into Touya's eyes, "Even if the Champion and all of Unova forgive me for the crimes I committed as the King of Team Plasma. I know nothing anymore. Perhaps my father is right; I am a defective person. I can't stay in Unova until I discover my real purpose."

"What?" Touya exclaimed in shocked disbelief, "You can't stay? What do you mean? Are you leaving?"

Before Touya's stunned mind could fully grasp the very idea of such a thing, he felt himself being swept up into N's arms. The young man held him close, gently pressing a kiss to his forehead. The tenderness in the gesture brought Touya to tears, and he clung to N's shirt, sobbing inconsolably. N hummed soothingly under his breath, stroking Touya's hair, but even he choked back a sob.

"I'm sorry," N mumbled repeatedly, "I'm sorry. I promise, when I prove that I am the man you deserve, I will return to claim you as mine. Have faith in me."

Gently prying Touya's fingers from his shirt, N broke their embrace and stepped back until he stood precariously at the edge of the hole. Touya tried to force himself to move, but he was frozen to the spot by a sudden wave of denial. 'This can't be happening,' he told himself repeatedly, 'It can't be, it just can't!' But it was, and denial alone could not have erased what he witnessed next.

Moving in slow motion, N took a step back, but there was no solid ground behind him. He leaned back, bright sunlight engulfing him as gravity took hold. A gentle smile graced his face as he stared softly at the horror-stricken boy.

"Farewell, my love!" N called before he was lost.

A roar erupted behind Touya, and he was shoved backwards as Zekrom tore past, launching himself out of the hole. Temporary paralysis broken, Touya ran forward, grabbing hold of the edge of the crumbled wall as he leaned out. He saw the great dragon pound his wings, rising skywards with N perched on his back. Heart beating frantically, Touya turned and raced across the throne room, bursting into the hallway that led to his and N's room. He ran into the room, hastily snatching up his backpack and gear, along with the pokéball of his faithful Unfezant, which he'd left on the nightstand to avoid calling upon his recovering friend. But now, he had no choice.

Running as fast as he could back to the throne room, Touya halted at the edge and threw Unfezant's pokéball into the air. It released the bird in a bright beam of red light. Unfezant gave a trill and spread its wings, testing the injured wing with a few experimental flaps.

"Unfezant, listen, this is important," Touya explained urgently, "I need to follow N and Zekrom. Can you fly me?"

Unfezant gave a trill that years of companionship and friendship translated into an agreement. Touya grinned in relief at the flying-type Pokémon before climbing onto Unfezant's back. At that moment, the doors on the opposite wall opened, and Touko peaked in.

"Has N made up hi- Hey! What are you doing?" Touko called, running forward.

"I'm going after N!" Touya called out as Unfezant lifted him into the air.

"What?" Touko exclaimed, echoing Touya's earlier response to N's similar words, "You can't go! What about your friends? What about mom and me?"

'What friends?' Touya thought bitterly, but he kept the retort to himself as he called out, "I've got to bring him back! Stay with mom for me. I'm going to bring him back with me as soon as I can! Keep your Xtransceiver on! I'll be in touch."

With that, Touya and Unfezant took off through the hole. The sunlight was blinding at first, and when Touya's eyes finally adjusted to the light, he saw that Zekrom was already a small speck on the distant northern horizon. But that didn't deter him as he set out in pursuit. No matter how long it took, hours, days, weeks, months, or even years, Touya would follow N until they could be together again, forever.

Hope you guys realize that that could have been the best cliffhanger ending to a story I've ever written! But it's not, I have way too much planned for this story to end it now! 8D Please review! It encourages me to write more, promise! I'll try to be a little quicker with getting chapter 5 done this time. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

It's a miracle! Another chapter done and posted within a week of the last! Is anyone else wondering how snail-speed Wildy managed to write another chapter in under a week? Well, I had a lot of art encouragement. So this chapter is dedicated to Illien, for showing me her wonderful comic (even if I can't understand german, I still love it!), and Lorxene, for making wonderful fanart of one of my favorite scenes from here and offering to make chapter covers! :D Thank you so much! Enjoy~!

* * *

><p>The distant land below rushed by in a blur as Zekrom passed overhead. Wind whipped through N's hair, singing a high-pitched whistling song that spoke of years of loneliness. The defeated young man fancied that the wind was trying to tell him something, trying to persuade him to turn around and go back to his young lover. But he could not do such a thing yet. He was a fallen Hero, a failure to his dream. He could not return until he'd proven to himself that there was still a purpose to his existence.<p>

But flying alone between earth and sky, with nothing to keep his mind from drifting to his father's disparaging words, he couldn't help but doubt his reason for life. After all, wasn't there some truth behind his father's derisive words? He was a failure, as both a Hero and a person. Long ago, he'd prided himself on his understanding of Pokémon, but now, he didn't understand them anymore. He didn't understand humans either. Now, he doubted he even understood himself.

'N!' Zekrom's shout broke his train of thought, 'Where are we going?'

"Away," N mumbled out loud, "Away from Unova."

'Yeah, I kinda figured that,' Zekrom retorted in exasperation, 'Can you be more specific? A place, maybe? At least give me a direction.'

"Uh… North… West? I don't know," N mumbled, his despairing mind coming up with nothing.

'I'll take that for northwest,' Zekrom grumbled in annoyance, roaring out loud as he veered in that direction. N quickly covered his ears to ward off the sound.

"Stop that!" he snapped, "I'm sitting right behind your head. You could have deafened me!"

'Heheh,' Zekrom chuckled, 'That's the first time I've seen you with your fire since you woke me from my long sleep. I'd hoped the Touya boy would bring it back to life.'

N opened his mouth to make another retort, but the mention of Touya's name stopped him cold. He wanted so much to turn around, go back, if only just to see the boy for one more minute.

'So why don't you?' Zekrom questioned, the thought pushing its way into N's mind like a pointed dagger.

"I can't," N mumbled, the two words weighed down with all his sorrow and failure, "Touya deserves better than me. I'm a failure. A warped puppet. I hardly deserve to call myself human."

'And yet you are a Hero,' Zekrom pointed out.

"I'm a failure!" N shouted again, the words repeating in his head like a mantra, "I don't deserve to be a Hero! I don't deserve your friendship. You shouldn't have picked me…"

'But I did,' Zekrom countered, a fierceness in his thoughts, 'I picked you, N, because you are an idealist. I may not have agreed with your ideals at the time, I admit that, but I recognized them as a sign for what you really are. You're a dreamer. You're determined. If there is an ideal worth pursuing, you'll follow it, and you'll fight to defend it. Eventually you will make your ideals a reality. You just need to find your true ideals, not some junk that some lunatic has been feeding to you since you were an infant!'

Taken off guard by the dragon's words, N gaped in disbelief. He shook his head, trying to find a reason to doubt Zekrom's words. He'd failed, hadn't he? Zekrom was just putting empty words in his head to comfort him, because that's what a friend would do, right? But part of him knew there was truth behind Zekrom's words, and part of him wanted to deny it. He was caught between two warring voices in his head, and with each argument they presented, he felt himself shrivel in confusion and self-doubt. It tore at him to listen to these voices, and he knew he could not stand to listen to them any longer, or they would surely drive him to insanity.

Forcing himself into a state of mental numbness, N spent the next few hours watching the land rush past beneath them. He was vaguely aware of Zekrom's voice at the edge of his consciousness, but he paid no heed to the dragon's words. It was noon when the land suddenly receded into open sea beneath them, but still N and Zekrom pressed on in their lonely flight without rest. It would be another five hours before they saw land beneath them once more.

As they approached land once more, N gradually became aware of a decrease in speed and altitude. This snapped him out of his daze instantly.

"Zekrom, why are you slowing down?" N called, "We need to get as far from Unova as possible!"

'There's a whole sea between us and Unova!' Zekrom retorted, 'I'm growing tired, N. I haven't fully recovered from my fight with Reshiram.'

At this, N's heart sank in a pit of guilt. It hadn't been right for him to expect the dragon to fly him so far without allowing him to recover. He'd expected their flight from Unova to last days, but his thoughtlessness had limited their flight to only the one day and had left Zekrom severely exhausted. He'd proven himself to be a horrible friend to Zekrom. What hadn't he failed at today?

"I'm sorry, Zekrom!" N cried out, tears of shame welling in his eyes, "I should have thought of your health before asking you to make this journey! We can land now, but away from people. I don't want anyone to discover you. You deserve a good long rest, Zekrom. Thank you for taking me away."

'I'm going to land in that mountain range,' Zekrom announced, directing N's attention to an arching spine of jagged, snow-peaked mountains.

N nodded with agreement, clinging tighter to Zekrom's back as the dragon accelerated, rocketing them towards the mountain range. He slowed as they passed over the tallest peak, then rapidly descended to land with a huff in a clearing in a forested region on the mountain's western face, close enough to the base that they'd be able to reach the valley at the bottom of the mountain within half a day's walk, but far enough into the forest that they would not be found easily.

As soon as they landed, N slid off Zekrom's back. The dragon gave a grateful huff before leaning back against the nearest tree. His ruby eyes were glazed with fatigue as he lifted his head to look around. N approached him and leaned against his side, staring upwards through the gap in the pine forest canopy.

"I'm sorry I made you fly when you had not recovered yet," N sighed dejectedly, "Zekrom… I wanted to thank you, for bringing me here, for being my friend, and for choosing me, even if I am  
>the wrong Hero."<p>

'You're not the wrong Hero,' Zekrom sighed in exasperation, 'You just haven't realized your potential yet. You will… When there's a dream worth fighting for.'

Falling to a sitting position beside the black dragon, N sighed and pulled up his knees, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees. Now that they had landed, there was nothing to distract him from his drifting thoughts. He wondered if Zekrom was right. Perhaps he was a Hero, and he'd simply pursued the wrong ideals.

N shook his head furiously. 'That can't be right!' he told himself fiercely, 'That would mean that the world is a better place because of Pokémon abuse! How could I stand by and ignore it?' Leaping to his feet, he began to pace angrily until he'd calmed down again. Suddenly his shoulders drooped and he sighed dismally.

"I wish Touya was here," N murmured in a dejected whisper.

'Heheh,' Zekrom chuckled slightly through his fatigue, 'He'll be along shortly.'

At this, N stiffened, eyes going wide in surprise. He whirled on Zekrom, not daring to believe the dragon's words. Touya? Coming here? No, it couldn't be. This was why he'd run away, wasn't it? To avoid Touya until he was certain of himself enough to return and claim the boy's love. What could he prove to himself if Touya was near?

And yet, some part of N rejoiced at the words. As much as he tried to deny it to himself, missing Touya was starting to tear him in two. He'd told himself he had to prove himself before he could see Touya again, but he wanted nothing more than to be with the boy. The denial was only hurting him.

Shaking his head in confusion, N tried once more to convince himself of why he was out here, so far from home. 'I need to prove myself, I need to prove myself!' N repeated silently, steeling himself for Touya's arrival, 'Touya deserves better than a failure like me; I need to prove myself!'

Just then, the cry of an Unfezant filled the air. The flying-type Pokémon descended through an opening in the canopy overhead. As soon as the bird landed, Touya slid off its back. Murmuring a few words of thanks, Touya called the bird back into its pokéball for a much deserved rest. Turning, the boy locked gazes with N.

N stood frozen to the spot, his heart anything but still as it flailed painfully in his chest. Touya took a hesitant step towards him, then two more before he broke into a run. N fought to keep his emotions hidden, forcing a cold composure over his face. It was all he could do to remain still when he felt Touya embrace him, the boy's thin arms shaking as he buried his face in N's shirt, crying openly.

"What were you thinking?" Touya demanded between sobs, "I could have lost you! Do you know how much that would have hurt me?"

"I…" N's voice trailed away as he searched for any words that would convince Touya to leave before his resolve broke down completely. Tensing his shoulders and forcing an edge of coldness into his voice, he looked Touya in the eyes and stated harshly, "You shouldn't have come, Touya. Go back. I don't want to see you here."

* * *

><p><span>Very important question to the readers: Is my story predictable? One problem I've seen in my stories over the years is that they're too predictable, and therefore they lack suspense. Hopefully I can keep up the suspense well enough so no one gets bored. :) Please review! A little encouragement goes a long way!<span>


	6. Chapter 6

Not sure what made me revive this chapter again after so many years... Although the story is not complete, I don't expect to update. Reviews tend to encourage me to at least try to revive it, although I really cannot guarantee that I'll continue this story to its proper completion. I'm sorry. Please savor this chapter...

Chapter 6

From the moment he saw N standing at the other side of the clearing, Touya couldn't help but cry. His tears had been fueled by relief, but now they flowed in hurt. N's words cut him like a serrated knife. He'd followed N this far – and he'd gladly have traveled farther, if only to be with N – but N didn't want to see him here.

'N doesn't want me here… After I traveled all this way… he doesn't want me…'

The thought seared him with a burning anguish. How could N not want him? Hadn't the green-haired young man said he loved him? Were N's words a lie – empty words tossed about in the heat of the moment that were worth nothing to him now? How could N do that to him, pretend to love with him when Touya truly loved him in return?

Something clicked inside Touya. Whether or not N had meant those words, Touya had. He loved N, but he didn't know anymore if N loved him back. He desperately hoped that he did, but if not… Touya shook his head stubbornly. He didn't know if N loved him, but he was determined to find out N's real feelings for him, no longer how long he had to wait.

"You can't make me go, N," Touya said stubbornly. "Like it or not, I'm staying."

Touya expected the young man in his arms to argue, but instead, N went limp, bowing his head in defeat. He shrugged out of Touya's grip and turned away from him.

"I wish you'd leave, Touya, but I will not ask again," N mumbled in a monotonous voice that conveyed more emotion than it hid.

Touya's heart quickened painfully at the misery and quiet resignation that radiated off of N. He took a step forward, reaching out a hand to grab N's shoulder, but the young man moved silently out of his reach, walking over to Zekrom and settling at the dragon's side. Zekrom stared down at his trainer with concern and disapproval, then turned his head to address Touya privately through thought.

'N doesn't mean what he says,' the dragon told him. 'He thinks he wants to be alone right now, but he's happier than he will say to have you here.'

'What's wrong with him?' Touya asked the dragon silently.

'He doubts himself, as a person and a Hero,' Zekrom responded. 'I believe he's having what you humans call an identity crisis.'

Touya's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly hid it and walked over to N. Sitting down beside the young man, Touya frowned at him.

"Hey, N? Are you ok?" Touya asked softly, allowing his worry to show in his voice.

N didn't respond. Instead, he tucked his knees against his chest and rested his chin on them, staring blankly across the clearing. Touya's heart quivered painfully to see his beloved in such a state, but he did not know what consolation he could offer. Sighing, he stood up and took off his backpack. The sun was going down, and soon there wouldn't be enough daylight to see by, let alone fly or travel through the unfamiliar woods in search of a town to shelter for the night in. He rummaged around in his backpack, searching for his travel tent.

Suddenly Touya's fingers brushed against an object that caused them to burn. He yelped in surprise, withdrawing his hand quickly to examine his burnt fingers. But upon inspection, he found his fingers to be unharmed. Puzzled and apprehensive, he nervously searched his backpack for the object that he'd thought had inflicted him with a burn.

Unpacking a stack of clothing, Touya found a most unusual object among his things. It appeared to be some kind of stone, glittering yellow and smooth-surfaced. Cautiously he reached into his bag, bracing himself as his fingers touched the stone. Yet again he felt the burn, but he realized that it was not a burn of heat, but rather cold!

Marveling at the strange stone, Touya carefully picked it up. It was freezing to the touch, by far the coldest thing he'd ever handled. The stone was shaped like a rounded pyramid, its rounded point fitting perfectly into the palm of his hand. He winced as the cold bit relentlessly into his hand, but he was growing numb to its effects. Holding the stone up to catch one of the rays of sunlight flitting through the trees, he stared at it as the sun's light flashed dazzlingly underneath its surface.

"What is this?" Touya breathed out loud, awed by the stone that he'd never seen before.

"It's my comet stone," N answered, shifting to stand at Touya's shoulder as he looked at the stone, "or at least that's what I call it. When I was younger, Zorua and I used to watch shooting stars from the orchards. One night, this fell from the sky beyond the castle walls. Zorua helped me to sneak out and find it. Ghetsis once told me that it possessed a spirit that could bring out the best and the worst parts of our souls. But I always thought of it as a good luck charm, so I put it in your backpack for safe keeping…"

Sensing a second meaning behind N's last words, Touya turned to stare determinedly into N's eyes, searching for deeper hints into his feelings. For a brief second, he thought he saw a flicker of deep caring glow softly in N's eyes, but then it was gone, replaced by his mask of apathy. Blinking as if to dispel a trance, N stepped back and turned away from Touya.

"You mentioned your Zorua," Touya commented, frowning as he thought back to earlier that day when he'd entered the throne room to find Zekrom defeated at Reshiram's hand. "N, what about your other Pokémon? Did they fight against Touko's team too?"

Cringing, N gave a small nod. Touya knew from the young man's tight-lipped frown and clenched fists that N was fighting to keep his composure. He knew that it hurt N to watch his Pokémon friends fight in battle, and losing this fight must have been a painful blow on top of that. However, from the small trembling that was shaking N's shoulders and fists, Touya sensed something was wrong.

"Are they okay? Have you looked at their wounds yet?" Touya pressed, frowning in concern.

Shaking harder now, N shook his head. Worry washed over Touya. Every trainer knew the importance of tending to their Pokémon's wounds as quickly as possible. It was necessary in order to stave off infection. But the battle with Touko had taken place hours ago; an infection could have taken hold by now.

Realizing the risk N's Pokémon could be facing, Touya began rummaging through his backpack. His search produced a dwindling collection of potions. He frowned at the potions, knowing they wouldn't be enough to heal all of the wounds, but daylight was fast fading, and they were alone in this unfamiliar place. Touya sighed. He'd have to make do for now, and in the morning he would search for the nearest Pokémon Center.

"Let me see your Pokémon," Touya ordered N.

Doing as he was told, N released his Pokémon from their pokéballs for Touya to inspect their injuries. The boy looked them over with a careful eye. None of their injuries appeared serious, just scrapes and bites for the most part. The most serious injury he could find was the blood matting N's Zoroark's fur and hair, but when he tried to examine the wound more closely, the Zoroark growled menacingly at him and backed away. Its increasingly loud snarls grew more frightening, but Touya knew he needed to get a closer look to assess how bad the wound was.

A series of sharp barks from behind him caused Touya to turn and see N at his shoulder. He watched, mystified as N and the Zoroark exchanged barks and growls. With a last wary growl, the Zoroark fell silent. N let out a faint sigh of relief, the ghost of a smile twitching at the edge of his lips. Walking forward, he placed a hand on Zoroark's head, stroking its red hair reassuringly.

"You'll have to forgive my friend," N murmured without looking up at Touya. "When Zoroark first came to me, he was terribly abused and sickly. It was hard to get him to trust me, but he never warmed up to other humans. But you're different from other humans. Maybe he'll learn to look past his shortcomings and trust you."

Taken by surprise at the odd words, Touya stared at N. Yet again he sensed a double meaning behind the words, but he couldn't quite grasp at their hidden meaning. Frowning slightly, he walked forward to examine the Zoroark. His fur was thickly caked with blood, but Touya managed to flatten it aside to get a better look at the wound hidden beneath.

There were two long slash wounds in Zoroark's chest that wrapped over his left shoulder. They were deep wounds, and though they had stopped bleeding, they were far from beginning to clot and heal. Touya stared at the wounds in quiet horror. Even for a trainer battle, these were an extreme.

"How did he get these?" Touya breathed.

"Reshiram," N murmured. "When I told Touko… about us, Reshiram attacked Zoroark. If Zekrom hadn't flown in at that moment, Reshiram could have killed him."

Nodding his head, Touya returned to staring at the wounds worriedly. He only had nine potions left. That left one potion for each of N's Pokémon with a few left over. But Zoroark's wounds would require at least two potions if he hoped to keep out infection for the night. Touya pursed his lips. On top of that, Zekrom was also severely hurt, and he highly doubted he could just walk into the nearest town with the legendary dragon following behind and not expect to be noticed.

Considering his options carefully, Touya decided on a course of action. Taking the potions, he laid out one bottle in front of each Pokémon, giving one of the extras to Zoroark and the last two to Zekrom. He turned to N for the next part of his plan, and it occurred to him that N might have more potions.

"Do you have any potions?" Touya asked. "These are all I've got."

N shook his head in response.

"Then I guess we'll have to use these sparingly," Touya sighed, picking up the nearest bottle. "Use only as much as necessary to keep out infection for a day or so. Tomorrow I'll go look for a Pokémon Center down the mountain."

"By yourself?" N asked, glancing up at Touya.

"Well, yeah," Touya replied, applying a small dab of potion onto a scratch on N's Carracosta, "Someone has to stay here to look after Zekrom and my Pokémon. I figured you would want to stay here."

Pursing his lips, N turned his face downwards and nodded. After giving Zoroark's hair a few more strokes, he moved away to help Touya treat his Pokémon. After tending to his Klinklang, he took particular care treating the wounds of his Vanilluxe, knowing how deceptively delicate the ice-type was. He had to be careful when applying the potion to not let his hands rest for more than a few seconds on the Pokémon's ice, or the Vanilluxe would melt under the heat of his hands.

By the time N was finished tending to Vanilluxe's wounds, Touya had treated his Carracosta and Archeops. The young trainer was hesitated to move on to Zoroark, but N placed his hand over Touya's and guided him forward. Swallowing his nervousness, he squirted a generous amount of potion onto his hands and began applying it to the wounds. Zoroark hissed as he worked, but he stuck determinedly to his task until the slashes were treated. He sighed when he was finished. The small amount of potion would not be enough to heal the wounds, but it was the most he could do for now.

Last but not least, Zekrom was awaiting treatment. Touya frowned as he studied the wounds that covered the great dragon's chest and head, not even daring to think about what wounds were on his back. He had to choose carefully which wounds needed the most attention. He only had three potions left, and that wouldn't be enough to treat all of the dragon's wounds by a long shot.

"Zekrom, which wounds hurt the most?" Touya asked the dragon.

'Never mind my wounds,' Zekrom responded, though a pained hiss escaped his ivory teeth. 'Treat the others. They are not as tough as I am.'

"But you have the worst wounds, and besides that, I can't take you to the Pokémon Center," Touya argued. "If your wounds aren't treated now, an infection will set in and you'll get weaker."

'My wounds will be fine without your potions,' Zekrom snorted disdainfully, fixing the boy with one ruby red eye.

"But Zekrom–"

'No!' Zekrom snapped, baring his teeth at Touya. 'Pokémon have lived for centuries without human potions. I am a legend! I will recover just fine without the use of potions, just as the ancestors of all Pokémon have.'

Touya frowned, dismay washing through him. Zekrom may seem strong, but he could hear the pain that threaded its way into the great dragon's every breath. He knew that if Zekrom refused treatment, he would surely die. His hands began to shake, the potions sloshing in their bottles as his fear for the dragon grew. Tears threatened at his eyes, and each breath he sucked in made his head spin dizzyingly.

In the clouds of his worry, Touya felt a calming presence sweep through him. At the same time, he felt a hand rest over his, steadying his shaking. He glanced up to see N standing at his side. The young man was staring at Zekrom, his blue-gray eyes narrowed determinedly. He nodded towards the dragon, and Touya drew in a deep breath, understanding what N wanted him to do. Stepping forward, he gave Zekrom a level stare.

"Look, I don't care if you want me to treat your wounds or not," Touya declared. "I will treat your wounds, so accept it!"

Marching forward, Touya half climbed, half scrambled up onto Zekrom's chest. The dragon made no move to stop him, only watching him with narrowed eyes. The boy felt small and insignificant standing on the large dragon's chest, but he drew courage from an inner source that he did not know he had. Gathering his thoughts, he began work upon one of the deepest wounds on Zekrom's chest. The dragon hissed slightly, but did not stop him.

When he had finished with the worst of Zekrom's chest wounds, the dragon suddenly lurched and rolled beneath him, causing Touya to drop his potions and slide off of the dragon's chest. He dropped to the ground and whirled to face the dragon. Zekrom stared at him through one half-lidded eye, baring his teeth slightly.

'That's enough,' the dragon stated. 'The rest of my wounds will heal naturally.'

Touya opened his mouth, ready to argue – he' barely treated any of the wounds on Zekrom's chest, let alone those on his face or elsewhere – but he recognized that he was lucky that Zekrom had let him treat any of his wounds at all. He sighed in defeat as the dragon's eyes closed. It was well past sunset by now, with dusk rapidly gathering in around him. There wasn't enough light left to set up his tent. He sighed again, realizing he'd be spending the night out in the open without so much as even a fire to keep away the cold and any wild Pokémon roaming these woods.

Turning back to his pack, Touya's eyes widened when he saw a camp fire already crackling at the edge of the meadow, his tent set up nearby. N emerged from the tent, shaking out his hair.

"You set up the tent?" Touya asked, coming over to stand in front of him.

"I saw you were busy tending to Zekrom, and it was getting late," N explained, glancing towards the fire. "I did not want you to catch a chill in the middle of the night. Did Zekrom let you see to his wounds?"

"A little," Touya sighed, looking in the dragon's direction with a concerned frown, "but he wouldn't let me treat all of his wounds. I'm worried he won't heal properly."

"Zekrom has an adversity for potions," N murmured. "That's partly my fault and partly his. I never treated him with potions because he insisted that Pokémon hadn't needed potions in ancient times, and he believes they still don't. I never argued because I agreed with him. It would only make it harder for Pokémon to adapt to a world separate from humans if they relied on potions and antidotes instead of berries and nature. But I see now that I was wrong."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Touya implored, turning his gaze back to frown up at N. "Maybe humans and Pokémon weren't meant to be separated, but that doesn't mean Pokémon should be completely dependent on trainers, nor that trainers should use Pokémon as tools. I try not to push my Pokémon when I know they're tired, and they prefer to forage for fresh food instead of eating canned Pokémon food. But we're still a family, no matter how much or how little we depend on each other."

"Perhaps you're right," N sighed, staring into the fire with a troubled look on his face. "I just wish I could have realized this sooner."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Touya repeated, resting an encouraging hand on N's shoulder. "Come on, it's getting late. Why don't we turn in for the night?"

"I don't sleep in tents," N informed him. This didn't surprise Touya.

"You can't sleep outside, you didn't bring a sleeping bag," the boy pointed out. "How will you keep warm?"

"I've got my Pokémon," N stated flatly.

Pausing, Touya tried to find a counterargument, but it was a hard feat to accomplish. After all, N was probably used to relying solely on the body heat of his Pokémon to keep warm while he camped between cities – and who was to say he took advantage of the free rooms at the PokéCenters when he did come across a town? But that didn't mean he was just going to let N sleep outside.

"Come on," he sighed, reaching out and grabbing N's hand – he felt it twitch in his grip, as if N were considering tugging away, but he wasn't going to let go that easily – and dragged the young man into the tent with him. With much fussing and directing N with what to do, he managed to get them both snuggled up in the single sleeping bag.

"We only have the one sleeping back, but I can buy another one tomorrow in town if you want," Touya offered, trying to wriggle into a more comfortable position in the minimal space they had. He stopped when he felt N's hand rest on his hair, glancing up at the pensive face of the man he loved as N gave his hair a soft stroke.

"This is fine," he mumbled before taking his hand away.

Touya frowned at this reserved treatment. He missed the warmth he'd felt from N this morning, or even the comfortable friendship they'd had before two days ago. Anything was better than watching this much distance come between them, as if N had constructed a wall that he just couldn't overcome. Feeling tears welling up, he pressed his face into N's chest, wishing that N would snap out of whatever had come over him and revert back to his normal self.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed wrapped in that position before one after another they fell asleep.


End file.
